Recommended resources for User Researchers

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February 2021

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I get asked quite often about any resources I can recommend for someone new to, or even seasoned, in the field of user research. Since I have found myself writing the same recommendations constantly, I decided to compile these into a list, which I will come back to and update!

Last updated, February 2021

Podcasts:

Since I have a dog, I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts while we go on long walks through Berlin. During this time, I love to listen to podcasts about user research. Not all of them allow me to come away with tangible action items, but they allow me to understand a different or new perspective. I love hearing about different ideas or challenges other researchers have faced. Here are my favorites:

  • The Conversation Factory (my new favorite)
    A fantastic podcast, hosted by Daniel Stillman, where he explores the edges of Conversation Design: the application of Human-Centered Design principles and Experience design to human discourse.
  • Dollars to Donuts
    A wonderful podcast, hosted by Steve Portigal, where he talks with people who lead user research in their organization about all things user research.
  • Mixed Methods 
    A thought-provoking podcast, hosted by Aryel Cianflone, interested in the hows and whys of user experience research. Through interviews with industry experts and hands-on trial and error, they indulge and celebrate curiosity.
  • Awkward Silences 
    A podcast, by User Interviews, where they interview the people who interview people. Listen as they geek out on all things UX research, qualitative data, and the craft of understanding people to build better products and businesses. Hosted by Erin May and JH Forster, VPs of growth/marketing and product at User Interviews.
  • Aurelius 
    By Aurelius labs, and hosted by Zack Naylor, a podcast that talks to industry experts, discussing design and product strategy. Hear from leaders how they are solving the right problems and building products and features that matter most.

Slack channels:

There is nothing I love more than seeing a community of UX’ers helping each other. I truly believe a community is one of the best things for a field, and there are several amazing slack groups growing. I highly recommend joining these communities, as they are some of the best support out there.

  • Mixed Methods 
    A great community for all things UX, both research and design. Join the growing community to post questions and help others in the field.
  • ResearchOps
    A global community who’ve come together to discuss the operations and operationalization of user research and design research — also known as ResearchOps. ResearchOps includes the people, mechanisms, and strategies that set research in motion.
  • User Research Academy
    A bit of a shameless plug here, since this is a slack channel I am growing. A community to be a support system, a go-to place for user researchers to find advice, and a community for an engaging discussion on important user research topics
  • Ethnography Hangout
    A global community created for conversations about ​ethnographic methods. This is an interdisciplinary group wearing many hats from design to tech and research, so you don’t need to have any formal background in ethnography to participate.

Books:

There are some basic books I always recommend for people to read, which have a wealth of information about user research. Although these are more static than articles and podcasts, they serve as wonderful foundations and building blocks. When I get stuck on a problem, I still go over to my bookcase to pull out these books. These books include information on, both, qualitative and quantitative user research methodologies.

Blogs/Resources:

I am often scouring the internet for information on user research. After all, searching the internet is how we learn now. I love reading about different perspectives and thoughts on user research through people’s words. Instead of finding particular articles, I wanted to recommend the websites I reference the most.

  • Neilsen Norman Group
    One of the top websites for all things UX and a great place to find relevant information. One of the articles I send around the most from NN group is their article on only needing to usability test with five users
  • UX Collective
    My go-to when searching for UX articles on Medium. They have a great selection of UX articles written by people in the field. What I love most about these pieces is that they are written by people who are experiencing the problems in real-time, and can give tangible advice/examples on how to handle them
  • dscout People Nerds
    dscout is constantly putting out relevant information into the world of UX, and they touch upon many important topics, such as accessibility and repositories. They take real-world problems researchers are facing, at a global level, and provide content to help them overcome these hurdles. PS: I write for dscout, but find them extremely relevant regardless :)
  • Usability.gov
    A bit old school, but a really comprehensive website all about usability and improving user experience. They have guides, templates, and documents to help you with better understanding, and testing, usability.
  • User Research Academy
    Another shameless plug. I founded User Research Academy back in 2019 to help people get into the field of user research. I offer courses and mentorship in user research.

Facebook:

I only have one recommendation for Facebook, but it is such a wonderful community, so I wanted to make sure it got proper recognition.

I hope you find these helpful! As I mentioned, I will be coming back to add and update these!

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